Graphically Speaking

I have to write an essay to accompany my projects for my present instructor. She gave us a list of leading graphic designers. I have to research on two for each essay. At first I was really dragging my feet about this, but am not really appreciative of this research requirement. I have gained so much from it.

This is a selection from my newest report.

(Imagine me reading this like an oral report...Ahem...)

As a dreamy, artistic 8^th grader in 1972 I fell in love with type. This is when I began to forget about my straight A’s in 3^rd grade penmanship and go for a new look. In my tame little world, this is how I decided to bust lose. After all, it was the new frontier of the ‘70’s. An up-curved counter in my small-cased e, a slanted stem in my capital A. The margins of my math homework were decorated with my personal type inventions.
My inspiration came from logo for L’eggs, the cover of Family Circle and Saturday Evening Post. Of course, I wasn’t aware of who Herb Lubalin was at the time, or that he was the creator of these great type sets. But know I see I was on the right track as far as having good taste in type design.
It doesn’t take much for me to be inspired by this man. Letters are such great forms in and of themselves. Their movement and design have a great amount of voice to communicate an emotion.

At http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-herblubalin it states:

But it is Lubalin and his typographics—words, letters, pieces of letters, additions to letters, connections and combinations, and virtuoso manipulation of letters—to which all must return. The "typographic impresario of our time," Dorfsman called him, a man who "profoundly influenced and changed our vision and perception of letter forms, words and language."

How did he do it? In part, he influenced the graphics community by changing typography into an art form. By combining type with his signature curves and flow and images tucked in to not only communicate a message but also add definition to it.

Isn’t it great that we have the ability to capture the essence of these influential artists to share for generations to come? I just love picking someone’s brain to learn what makes them who they are. With Rand speaking as a passionate instructor it’s pretty easy to want to follow in the man’s footsteps somehow. The logos to the right are some of what he created.--->
At Imaginary Forces.com http://imaginaryforces.com/archive/alphabetical/415
Make sure you click on the 'watch movie' icon at the lower right of the viewer because the page opens with a slide show.

This delightful short video with Paul Rand accompanied by a variety of his work and his work philosophy set me in motion to discover more and about this talented and influential designer.

A couple things stand out with Paul Rand. The first is the sagacious manner in which he communicates to others about the world of design. My intention is not to demote other designers that I have reported on. However they didn’t seem to have the skill to speak as professionally or as intellectually as Mr. Rand did.

The second thing that stands out is Rand’s humor. He doesn’t take himself or others too seriously. He sees himself in a good light, not as a huge icon of modern graphic design.

A: It is the instinct for order, the need for rules that, if broken, spoil the game, create uncertainty and irresolution. ”Play is tense,” says Johan Huizinga. “It is the element of tension and solution that governs all solitary games of skill.” Without play, there would be no Picasso. Without play, there is no experimentation. Experimentation is the quest for answers.

This helped me out because I tend to play…sometimes maybe too much. Most of the time when I set out on a project and I get my basic template set up in Illustrator, I want to see the many possibilities of what can be done before settling on what I want to see as a finished project. Actually, some of the best work has come from playing around and discovering a new action or way to clip or filter.

Other good quotes from Paul Rand:
"There is no difference between a designer and an artist. They both work with form and content. I try to create art, whether I make it or not is not up to me, it's up to God."

"Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations."